500 MHz NMR Spectrometer to Support Organic, Bio-organic and Inorganic Chemistry

NMR spectroscopy is a key tool in the elucidation of chemical structure. A new NMR spectrometer operating at higher field (500 MHz) than currently available is required by a group of synthetic chemists interested in organic, bio-organic and inorganic chemistry. This spectrometer will facilitate new research areas in the Department of Chemistry at Bath by providing access to NMR facilities with (a) high sensitivity (somewhere in the region of a 40% increase over our current 400 MHz NMR spectrometer will be provided), (b) greater resolution that will allow resonances from more complex molecules to be separated out and (c) new hardware (for example, lower frequency nuclei can be studied, while an inverse detection probe will give higher proton sensitivity, allowing compounds only available in very small amounts to be characterised and and their structures established). Specific areas that will be enabled include the synthesis of chiral molecules, modification of peptides and proteins and the development of new catalysts.